Intact spermatozoa from goat cauda epididymis possess phosphoprotein phosphatase activity that ca... more Intact spermatozoa from goat cauda epididymis possess phosphoprotein phosphatase activity that causes dephosphorylation of externally added [32p]histones. The enzymic reaction was linear with time for at least 15 min and there was little uptake of [32p]histones by these cells. The activity of the enzyme of the whole spermatozoa was not due to contamination of the broken cells or epididymal plasma and leakage of the intracellular enzymic activity during incubation. The activity of the phosphoprotein phosphatase was strongly inhibited by the thiol reagent: p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid, which is believed not to enter the cells. There was no appreciable loss of the enzymic activity from the cells when washed with EDTA (2.0 mM) or a hyperosmotic medium. These data are consistent with the view that the observed activity of the enzyme is located on the spermatozoal external surface. Studies with unlabelled p-nitrophenyl phosphate and beta-glycerophosphate indicate that the sperm ecto-enzyme is not a non-specific phosphatase.
Intact spermatozoa from rat cauda epididymides possess an ecto-(cyclic AMP-dependent protein kina... more Intact spermatozoa from rat cauda epididymides possess an ecto-(cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase) activity that causes the transfer of the terminal phosphate group of ATP to the serine residues of all the histone fractions. The enzyme showed a high degree of substrate specificity for the phosphorylation of histones rather than protamine, casein and phosvitin. The cell-external-surface protein kinase requires Mg2+ for activity, and other bivalent cations such as Mn2+ and Co2+ can substitute partially for Mg2+, whereas Ca2+ and Zn2+ are potent inhibitors of the enzyme. The enzyme has markedly higher affinity for cyclic AMP than for other cyclic nucleotides for its activation, with an apparent Km value for cyclic AmP of 80 nM. Spermatozoal ecto-kinase activity is not due to contamination of broken cells or any possible cell damage during incubation and isolation of spermatozoa. There was no loss of kinase activity from the cells when washed with 2 mM-EDTA, and the histones phosphory...
Three isoenzymic species of neutral alpha-mannosidase (I, II and III) were partially purified fro... more Three isoenzymic species of neutral alpha-mannosidase (I, II and III) were partially purified from rat epididymis and characterized. Calcium phosphate gel preferentially adsorbed acidic alpha-mannosidase activity, thereby removing the acidic enzyme from the neutral mannosidases. The neutral enzymes, which are of cytosolic origin, require Co2+ for activity, and Mn2+ can substitute partially for Co2+. Mg2+ or Ca2+ had little effect on the activity of the isoenzymes, whereas Zn2+ (100 microM) was a potent inhibitor of the mannosidases. The Km values of mannosidases I, II and III for Co2+ were 10, 10 and 2.7 mM respectively. There was marked alteration of the specific activity of the neutral alpha-mannosidases during epididymal development in vivo. The specific activities of mannosidases I and II were relatively high in the young (24 days) rats, and during the subsequent development the specific activities decreased markedly (approx. 2-3-fold). On the contrary, mannosidase III, which sh...
Two nuclear phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPases I and II) that cause dephosphorylation of [32P]hi... more Two nuclear phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPases I and II) that cause dephosphorylation of [32P]histone, have been partially purified from goat testis. The enzymic activity is associated with nucleoplasm and chromatin. PPase I is markedly stimulated (approx. 200-600%) by Mg2+ or Mn2+ (1 mM) whereas Ca2+ (1 mM) causes slight stimulation (approx. 35%) of the enzyme. On the contrary, PPase II is only slightly activated (20-40%) by these metal ions (5 mM). Both the phosphoprotein phosphatase isoenzymes are maximally active at pH 6-7. PPases I and II are strongly inhibited (approx. 60-100%) by ZnCl2 (1 mM), P1 (5 mM) and thiol reagents. NaF (5 mM) inhibits (approx. 40%) specifically the activity of PPase I rather than PPase II. PPases are strongly inhibited by relatively high concentration of NaCl (0.4 M), isoenzyme II being more sensitive (approx. 80%) than isoenzyme I (approx. 50%). In addition to histones, both the isoenzymes can as well cause dephosphorylation of protamine, casein, and testicular nuclear proteins. Enzymic characteristics of the testicular nuclear PPases are clearly different from those of the cytosolic enzyme previously characterized.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Enzymology, 1975
... BBA 67459 CHANGES IN CYCLIC AMP-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE ACTIVITY IN TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS D... more ... BBA 67459 CHANGES IN CYCLIC AMP-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE ACTIVITY IN TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS DURING THE GROWTH CYCLE GOPAL C. MAJUMDERa, EARL SHRAGOb and ... 41, 1290-- 1297 22 Tao, M., Salas, ML and Lipmann, F. (1970) Proc. Natl. ...
Proceedings of the 1972 Laurentian Hormone Conference, 1973
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses hormonal regulation of gene expression in mammary cells.... more Publisher Summary This chapter discusses hormonal regulation of gene expression in mammary cells. During pregnancy, the mammary gland undergoes remarkable developmental changes related to the organogenesis of an excretory gland that will form and secrete the specialized components of milk after parturition. This complex process of growth and differentiation is regulated by a large number of intracellular molecular mechanisms, which in turn are governed by a complex set of specific hormonal signals. The chapter reviews the recent studies on the hormonal regulation of gene activation during mammary cell differentiation. These studies have demonstrated a complex sequence of molecular events that lead to the activation of specific genes. They have also delineated the roles of a number of hormones in this process of gene activation. Growth of the mammary gland proceeds through a process of cell proliferation rather than by hypertrophy of existing cellular units. Moreover, it has been found that several hormones regulate the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells in organ cultures.
The role of methanolic extract and n-butanol fraction of A. macrophylla leaves was investigated o... more The role of methanolic extract and n-butanol fraction of A. macrophylla leaves was investigated on the forward motility of goat spermatozoa. The methanol extract (600 micro/g/ml) and one n-butanol fraction (Fraction A; 100 microg/ml) showed marked inhibition of sperm forward motility, tested by microscopic and spectrophotometric methods. Approximately, 50-60% of the spermatozoa lost their motility when treated with 600 microg/ml of methanol extract or 100 microg/ml of Fraction A. The Fraction A at 400 microg/ml concentration showed complete inhibition of sperm forward motility at 0 min. The inhibitory activity increased with the increasing concentrations of the fraction. The motility inhibitory activity of the Fraction A was stable to heat treatment at 100 degrees C for 2 min. The compound showed high inhibitory effect in the pH range 6.7-7.6. Fraction A also showed high efficacy for inhibiting human sperm motility, assessed by the microscopic method. The phytochemical analysis of m...
Highly purified maturing plasma membranes of goat caput-, corpus- and cauda-epididymal spermatozo... more Highly purified maturing plasma membranes of goat caput-, corpus- and cauda-epididymal spermatozoa, were isolated by an aqueous two-phase polymer method and their fluidity was determined using pyrene and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as the membrane lipid probes. Pyrene following partitioning into the lipid phase of the membrane formed excimers at 480 nm and the amount of excimers formed was markedly higher with the immature caput- than the mature cauda-sperm membrane. The fluorescence polarization values obtained with DPH as the lipophilic probe, were lowest in the immature sperm membrane and highest in that of the mature sperm. The data with both the probes are consistent with the view that the lipid phase fluidity of the sperm plasma membrane undergoes significant decrease during the epididymal maturation of the male gametes.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Lipids and Lipid Metabolism, 1993
The phospholipids and their fatty acids of the inner and outer plasma membrane leaflets of the ma... more The phospholipids and their fatty acids of the inner and outer plasma membrane leaflets of the maturing goat caput-, corpus-and cauda-epididymal spermatozoa were analyzed by treating the intact spermatozoa with phospholipase C and trinitrobenzene sulphonate. The inner and outer membrane showed marked differences in the phospholipid composition at all stages of epididymal sperm maturation. The outer membrane was rich in phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SPH) whereas the inner leaflet was dominated by phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Although the ratio of PE/PC in the inner membrane was similar in both the mature cauda sperm and the immature caput sperm, it decreased significantly in sperm undergoing maturation in the corpus-epididymis. The distribution of the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipid fractions of both the membrane leaflets underwent profound alterations during the epididymal maturation. The data demonstrate asymmetry of phospholipids and their fatty acids in the sperm inner and outer plasma membranes and this lipid asymmetry is greatly altered during epididymal maturity of the male gametes.
Previous studies from our laboratory have identified MPS, a 100‐kDa protein, as the major phospho... more Previous studies from our laboratory have identified MPS, a 100‐kDa protein, as the major phosphoprotein substrate of caprine sperm ecto‐cyclic AMP independent protein kinase. In this study the isolated 32P‐labelled MPS has been incorporated into mature caprine (Capra indicus) cauda‐epididymal spermatozoa with the help of cell electroporation technique to investigate the effect of MPS on sperm flagellar motility. The optimum conditions for electroporation of sperm cells consisted of exposure of 0.2 ml of sperm cells (2 × 108/ml) to external electric field of intensity 1.5 kV/cm and capacitation of 25 µF at 4°C and post‐pulse incubation at 37°C for 1 hr. when nearly 50% of the cells lost motility. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) demonstrate the formation of micro‐pores and local osmotic swelling in the electroporated spermatozoa. MPS incorporation was maximal when its concentration was 30 µg/ml (300 pmol) in the medium and when the post‐pulse incubation time was 60 min. At maximu...
Recently a low-molecular-mass protein purified from goat testes cytosol has been reported from ou... more Recently a low-molecular-mass protein purified from goat testes cytosol has been reported from our laboratory which is found to stimulate Mg2+-independent Ca2+-ATPase without any significant effect on Mg2+-dependent Ca2+-ATPase. In the present study, detailed structural and functional characterization, as well as the physiological significance of the protein has been described. The stimulatory effect is found to be inhibited by known
Cell differentiation during spermatogenesis in the rat has been analyzed in terms of the formatio... more Cell differentiation during spermatogenesis in the rat has been analyzed in terms of the formation of specific "marker" enzymes. Hyaluronidase and other acrosomal enzymes are formed in spermatids according to a highly predictable time schedule which may be termed a "molecular biological clock". The acrosomal enzymes beta-galactosidase and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase exist as isoenzyme forms distinct from enzymes with similar substrate specificities in the lysosomes of precursor cells. Differentiation of spermatids thus involves the loss of gene expression for lysosomal enzymes and the activation of genes for acrosomal isoenzymes. Spermatogenesis is characterized by the sequential loss of expression of many genes, as evidenced by the loss of beta-glucuronidase in the differentiation of spermatogonia to spermatocytes, and the loss of uridine diphosphatase activity in the differentiation of spermatocytes to spermatids. The apparent absence of ornithine decarboxylase activity from spermatids suggests a dependence of these cells upon Sertoli cells for the provision of putrescine and/or spermidine. Such biochemical cooperativity among germinal cells may be necessary as the genes of spermatids are repressed and late spermatids become metabolically inactive. Spermatogenesis is also characterized by changes in the cellular content and rates of synthesis and phosphorylation of specific acidic chromatin proteins. It is hypothesized that these proteins may participate in the activation or repression of genes during spermatogenesis.
Intact spermatozoa from goat cauda epididymis possess phosphoprotein phosphatase activity that ca... more Intact spermatozoa from goat cauda epididymis possess phosphoprotein phosphatase activity that causes dephosphorylation of externally added [32p]histones. The enzymic reaction was linear with time for at least 15 min and there was little uptake of [32p]histones by these cells. The activity of the enzyme of the whole spermatozoa was not due to contamination of the broken cells or epididymal plasma and leakage of the intracellular enzymic activity during incubation. The activity of the phosphoprotein phosphatase was strongly inhibited by the thiol reagent: p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid, which is believed not to enter the cells. There was no appreciable loss of the enzymic activity from the cells when washed with EDTA (2.0 mM) or a hyperosmotic medium. These data are consistent with the view that the observed activity of the enzyme is located on the spermatozoal external surface. Studies with unlabelled p-nitrophenyl phosphate and beta-glycerophosphate indicate that the sperm ecto-enzyme is not a non-specific phosphatase.
Intact spermatozoa from rat cauda epididymides possess an ecto-(cyclic AMP-dependent protein kina... more Intact spermatozoa from rat cauda epididymides possess an ecto-(cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase) activity that causes the transfer of the terminal phosphate group of ATP to the serine residues of all the histone fractions. The enzyme showed a high degree of substrate specificity for the phosphorylation of histones rather than protamine, casein and phosvitin. The cell-external-surface protein kinase requires Mg2+ for activity, and other bivalent cations such as Mn2+ and Co2+ can substitute partially for Mg2+, whereas Ca2+ and Zn2+ are potent inhibitors of the enzyme. The enzyme has markedly higher affinity for cyclic AMP than for other cyclic nucleotides for its activation, with an apparent Km value for cyclic AmP of 80 nM. Spermatozoal ecto-kinase activity is not due to contamination of broken cells or any possible cell damage during incubation and isolation of spermatozoa. There was no loss of kinase activity from the cells when washed with 2 mM-EDTA, and the histones phosphory...
Three isoenzymic species of neutral alpha-mannosidase (I, II and III) were partially purified fro... more Three isoenzymic species of neutral alpha-mannosidase (I, II and III) were partially purified from rat epididymis and characterized. Calcium phosphate gel preferentially adsorbed acidic alpha-mannosidase activity, thereby removing the acidic enzyme from the neutral mannosidases. The neutral enzymes, which are of cytosolic origin, require Co2+ for activity, and Mn2+ can substitute partially for Co2+. Mg2+ or Ca2+ had little effect on the activity of the isoenzymes, whereas Zn2+ (100 microM) was a potent inhibitor of the mannosidases. The Km values of mannosidases I, II and III for Co2+ were 10, 10 and 2.7 mM respectively. There was marked alteration of the specific activity of the neutral alpha-mannosidases during epididymal development in vivo. The specific activities of mannosidases I and II were relatively high in the young (24 days) rats, and during the subsequent development the specific activities decreased markedly (approx. 2-3-fold). On the contrary, mannosidase III, which sh...
Two nuclear phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPases I and II) that cause dephosphorylation of [32P]hi... more Two nuclear phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPases I and II) that cause dephosphorylation of [32P]histone, have been partially purified from goat testis. The enzymic activity is associated with nucleoplasm and chromatin. PPase I is markedly stimulated (approx. 200-600%) by Mg2+ or Mn2+ (1 mM) whereas Ca2+ (1 mM) causes slight stimulation (approx. 35%) of the enzyme. On the contrary, PPase II is only slightly activated (20-40%) by these metal ions (5 mM). Both the phosphoprotein phosphatase isoenzymes are maximally active at pH 6-7. PPases I and II are strongly inhibited (approx. 60-100%) by ZnCl2 (1 mM), P1 (5 mM) and thiol reagents. NaF (5 mM) inhibits (approx. 40%) specifically the activity of PPase I rather than PPase II. PPases are strongly inhibited by relatively high concentration of NaCl (0.4 M), isoenzyme II being more sensitive (approx. 80%) than isoenzyme I (approx. 50%). In addition to histones, both the isoenzymes can as well cause dephosphorylation of protamine, casein, and testicular nuclear proteins. Enzymic characteristics of the testicular nuclear PPases are clearly different from those of the cytosolic enzyme previously characterized.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Enzymology, 1975
... BBA 67459 CHANGES IN CYCLIC AMP-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE ACTIVITY IN TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS D... more ... BBA 67459 CHANGES IN CYCLIC AMP-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE ACTIVITY IN TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS DURING THE GROWTH CYCLE GOPAL C. MAJUMDERa, EARL SHRAGOb and ... 41, 1290-- 1297 22 Tao, M., Salas, ML and Lipmann, F. (1970) Proc. Natl. ...
Proceedings of the 1972 Laurentian Hormone Conference, 1973
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses hormonal regulation of gene expression in mammary cells.... more Publisher Summary This chapter discusses hormonal regulation of gene expression in mammary cells. During pregnancy, the mammary gland undergoes remarkable developmental changes related to the organogenesis of an excretory gland that will form and secrete the specialized components of milk after parturition. This complex process of growth and differentiation is regulated by a large number of intracellular molecular mechanisms, which in turn are governed by a complex set of specific hormonal signals. The chapter reviews the recent studies on the hormonal regulation of gene activation during mammary cell differentiation. These studies have demonstrated a complex sequence of molecular events that lead to the activation of specific genes. They have also delineated the roles of a number of hormones in this process of gene activation. Growth of the mammary gland proceeds through a process of cell proliferation rather than by hypertrophy of existing cellular units. Moreover, it has been found that several hormones regulate the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells in organ cultures.
The role of methanolic extract and n-butanol fraction of A. macrophylla leaves was investigated o... more The role of methanolic extract and n-butanol fraction of A. macrophylla leaves was investigated on the forward motility of goat spermatozoa. The methanol extract (600 micro/g/ml) and one n-butanol fraction (Fraction A; 100 microg/ml) showed marked inhibition of sperm forward motility, tested by microscopic and spectrophotometric methods. Approximately, 50-60% of the spermatozoa lost their motility when treated with 600 microg/ml of methanol extract or 100 microg/ml of Fraction A. The Fraction A at 400 microg/ml concentration showed complete inhibition of sperm forward motility at 0 min. The inhibitory activity increased with the increasing concentrations of the fraction. The motility inhibitory activity of the Fraction A was stable to heat treatment at 100 degrees C for 2 min. The compound showed high inhibitory effect in the pH range 6.7-7.6. Fraction A also showed high efficacy for inhibiting human sperm motility, assessed by the microscopic method. The phytochemical analysis of m...
Highly purified maturing plasma membranes of goat caput-, corpus- and cauda-epididymal spermatozo... more Highly purified maturing plasma membranes of goat caput-, corpus- and cauda-epididymal spermatozoa, were isolated by an aqueous two-phase polymer method and their fluidity was determined using pyrene and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as the membrane lipid probes. Pyrene following partitioning into the lipid phase of the membrane formed excimers at 480 nm and the amount of excimers formed was markedly higher with the immature caput- than the mature cauda-sperm membrane. The fluorescence polarization values obtained with DPH as the lipophilic probe, were lowest in the immature sperm membrane and highest in that of the mature sperm. The data with both the probes are consistent with the view that the lipid phase fluidity of the sperm plasma membrane undergoes significant decrease during the epididymal maturation of the male gametes.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Lipids and Lipid Metabolism, 1993
The phospholipids and their fatty acids of the inner and outer plasma membrane leaflets of the ma... more The phospholipids and their fatty acids of the inner and outer plasma membrane leaflets of the maturing goat caput-, corpus-and cauda-epididymal spermatozoa were analyzed by treating the intact spermatozoa with phospholipase C and trinitrobenzene sulphonate. The inner and outer membrane showed marked differences in the phospholipid composition at all stages of epididymal sperm maturation. The outer membrane was rich in phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SPH) whereas the inner leaflet was dominated by phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Although the ratio of PE/PC in the inner membrane was similar in both the mature cauda sperm and the immature caput sperm, it decreased significantly in sperm undergoing maturation in the corpus-epididymis. The distribution of the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipid fractions of both the membrane leaflets underwent profound alterations during the epididymal maturation. The data demonstrate asymmetry of phospholipids and their fatty acids in the sperm inner and outer plasma membranes and this lipid asymmetry is greatly altered during epididymal maturity of the male gametes.
Previous studies from our laboratory have identified MPS, a 100‐kDa protein, as the major phospho... more Previous studies from our laboratory have identified MPS, a 100‐kDa protein, as the major phosphoprotein substrate of caprine sperm ecto‐cyclic AMP independent protein kinase. In this study the isolated 32P‐labelled MPS has been incorporated into mature caprine (Capra indicus) cauda‐epididymal spermatozoa with the help of cell electroporation technique to investigate the effect of MPS on sperm flagellar motility. The optimum conditions for electroporation of sperm cells consisted of exposure of 0.2 ml of sperm cells (2 × 108/ml) to external electric field of intensity 1.5 kV/cm and capacitation of 25 µF at 4°C and post‐pulse incubation at 37°C for 1 hr. when nearly 50% of the cells lost motility. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) demonstrate the formation of micro‐pores and local osmotic swelling in the electroporated spermatozoa. MPS incorporation was maximal when its concentration was 30 µg/ml (300 pmol) in the medium and when the post‐pulse incubation time was 60 min. At maximu...
Recently a low-molecular-mass protein purified from goat testes cytosol has been reported from ou... more Recently a low-molecular-mass protein purified from goat testes cytosol has been reported from our laboratory which is found to stimulate Mg2+-independent Ca2+-ATPase without any significant effect on Mg2+-dependent Ca2+-ATPase. In the present study, detailed structural and functional characterization, as well as the physiological significance of the protein has been described. The stimulatory effect is found to be inhibited by known
Cell differentiation during spermatogenesis in the rat has been analyzed in terms of the formatio... more Cell differentiation during spermatogenesis in the rat has been analyzed in terms of the formation of specific "marker" enzymes. Hyaluronidase and other acrosomal enzymes are formed in spermatids according to a highly predictable time schedule which may be termed a "molecular biological clock". The acrosomal enzymes beta-galactosidase and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase exist as isoenzyme forms distinct from enzymes with similar substrate specificities in the lysosomes of precursor cells. Differentiation of spermatids thus involves the loss of gene expression for lysosomal enzymes and the activation of genes for acrosomal isoenzymes. Spermatogenesis is characterized by the sequential loss of expression of many genes, as evidenced by the loss of beta-glucuronidase in the differentiation of spermatogonia to spermatocytes, and the loss of uridine diphosphatase activity in the differentiation of spermatocytes to spermatids. The apparent absence of ornithine decarboxylase activity from spermatids suggests a dependence of these cells upon Sertoli cells for the provision of putrescine and/or spermidine. Such biochemical cooperativity among germinal cells may be necessary as the genes of spermatids are repressed and late spermatids become metabolically inactive. Spermatogenesis is also characterized by changes in the cellular content and rates of synthesis and phosphorylation of specific acidic chromatin proteins. It is hypothesized that these proteins may participate in the activation or repression of genes during spermatogenesis.
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Papers by Gopal Majumder