R Béliveau

Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

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Publications (105)363.19 Total impact

  • Article: Molecular interactions of cyclosporin A with P-glycoprotein. Photolabeling with cyclosporin derivatives.
    M Demeule, R M Wenger, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: The interaction between P-glycoprotein (140-180 kDa) from the multidrug-resistant Chinese hamster ovary cell line CHRC5 and cyclosporin A was characterized using three different photoactivable cyclosporin A analogs. Two monoclonal antibodies, which are able to discriminate between two major domains of cyclosporin A (the cyclophilin and calcineurin binding domains), were used to detect the photolabeled proteins. A protein of 155 kDa corresponding to P-glycoprotein was much more strongly photolabeled in membranes of CHRC5 cells than in membranes of their drug-sensitive parent cell line AuxB1. The antitumor drug vinblastine and the reversal agents verapamil and cyclosporin A inhibited the photolabeling, and the nonimmunosuppressive derivative PSC-833 caused a stronger inhibition than cyclosporin A. P-glycoprotein photolabeled with cyclosporin A analogs was only detected with the monoclonal antibody that recognizes cyclosporin A and its metabolites, indicating that the calcineurin binding domain recognized specifically by the other antibody is not exposed. These results suggest that the portion of cyclosporin A that binds to calcineurin plays a role in the interaction of cyclosporin A with P-glycoprotein.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 04/1997; 272(10):6647-52. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Essential arginine residues in isoprenylcysteine protein carboxyl methyltransferase.
    D Boivin, W Lin, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: We used specific amino acid modifying reagents to characterize the isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase in kidney membranes. The enzyme was inactivated by reagents specific for arginine, histidine, cysteine, and tryptophan residues. Protection by the product and inhibitor S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine was observed for arginine modification by phenylglyoxal and tryptophan modification by N-bromosuccinimide. We focused on modification by phenylglyoxal, a highly specific modifier of arginine residues. The inactivation of methyltransferase by phenylglyoxal follows pseudo-first-order kinetics and the order of the reaction, n, with respect to phenylglyoxal was 1.2. The inactivation increased with the alkalinity of the preincubation medium and was maximal at pH 10. Kinetic analysis showed that the K(m) for S-adenosyl-L-methionine is not significantly affected by treatment with phenylglyoxal but that the Vmax is reduced p-Hydroxyphenylglyoxal, a more hydrophilic derivative of phenylglyoxal, was a less potent inactivator of methyltransferase than phenylglyoxal, suggesting that arginine residues modified are in a hydrophobic environment. The methyltransferase is protected from phenylglyoxal modification by S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine but not S-adenosyl-L-methionine, sinefungin, N-acetyl-S-farnesyl-L-cysteine, or farnesylthioacetate. The arginine residue modified may thus be located either at the active site or at another additional binding site for S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine. These results indicate that arginine residues are essential for the enzymatic activity of isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase.
    Biochemistry and Cell Biology 02/1997; 75(1):63-9. · 2.67 Impact Factor
  • Article: The renal sodium/phosphate symporters: evidence for different functional oligomeric states.
    M Jetté, V Vachon, M Potier, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: The oligomeric size of the rat renal sodium/phosphate symporters was estimated in brush-border membrane vesicles submitted to radiation inactivation. Altering the electrochemical conditions under which phosphate transport was measured resulted in different molecular size determinations. The radiation inactivation size (RIS) obtained from the radiation-induced loss of transport activity measured in the presence of a sodium gradient was 200 kDa. Under sodium equilibrium conditions, in the presence of a phosphate gradient as the only driving force, transport fell to 13% of the activity measured in the presence of a sodium gradient, and the RIS was 62 kDa. Addition of an outwardly-directed proton gradient increased the transport activity to 29% of that measured in the presence of a sodium gradient. The RIS measured under these conditions was 124 kDa. Under all conditions tested, phosphate uptake by irradiated vesicles was significantly reduced but remained linear during the first 5 s of incubation. The radiation-induced loss of transport activity was thus attributable to a direct inactivation of the transporter rather than to a decrease in the physical integrity of the vesicles. These results are consistent with a tetrameric structure composed of subunits of about 62 kDa and suggest that phosphate transport involves both monomers and tetramers.
    Biochemistry 01/1997; 35(48):15209-14. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: The renal brush border membrane sodium/sulfate cotransporter functions in situ as a homotetramer.
    M Jetté, J Pelletier, M Potier, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: The functional molecular size of the renal Na+/SO4(2-) cotransporter was analysed with the radiation inactivation and fragmentation method. Purified brush border membrane vesicles preserved in a cryoprotective medium were exposed to gamma-radiations. Initial rates of SO4(2-) influx into these vesicles were estimated with membranes irradiated with 0, 4 and 8 Mrad. In each case, SO4(2-) uptake by irradiated membranes was significantly reduced but remained linear during the first 5 sec of incubation. To avoid artifacts arising from a decrease in the driving force caused by modifications in membrane permeability, this incubation period was chosen to measure the effect of irradiation on the SO4(2-) transport activity. Increasing irradiation doses resulted in a monoexponential decrease in transport activity allowing the molecular size to be estimated at 238 +/- 6 kDa (SD, n = 3). Recently, a cDNA for the Na+/SO4(2-) cotransporter was cloned and expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes (Markovich D. et al. (1993) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 90, 8073-8077). The deduced amino acid sequence of this cotransporter predicts a molecular weight of 66 kDa. We suggest that the in situ activity of the renal brush border membrane Na+/SO4(2-) cotransporter requires the presence of four intact and identical subunits arranged as a homotetramer.
    The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 11/1996; 28(10):1151-4. · 4.63 Impact Factor
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    Article: Regulation of cytoskeletal functions by Rho small GTP-binding proteins in normal and cancer cells.
    D Boivin, D Bilodeau, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: The actin cytoskeleton is involved in numerous cellular functions such as cell motility, mitogenesis, morphology, muscle contraction, cytokinesis, and establishment of cell polarity. The members of the Rho subfamily of small GTP-binding proteins emerge as key regulators of cytokeleton organization. Rho, Rac, and CDC42 are implicated in the regulation of actin microfilament organization of different cell structures, such as stress fibers linked to focal adhesions and membrane ruffles induced by extracellular stimuli. Rho proteins also regulate the activity of several enzymes involved in the formation of phospholipid derivatives, which could mediate their effect on the cytoskeleton. The activity of Rho proteins is regulated by many nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins, some of which are oncogene products, and other disease-associated proteins. The potential role of these small GTP-binding proteins in carcinogenesis is suggested by the actin reorganization seen in transforming cells and by the need for functional Rho proteins in Ras mitogenic activation.
    Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 08/1996; 74(7):801-10. · 1.95 Impact Factor
  • Article: Phosphate deprivation induces overexpression of two proteins related to the rat renal phosphate cotransporter NaPi-2.
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    ABSTRACT: Polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbits against the C-terminal portion of the rat renal brush-border membrane sodium/phosphate cotransporter NaPi-2. Antibody specificity and molecular sizes of proteins related to NaPi-2 were assayed by Western blot analysis. Proteins of 40 and 70-75 kDa (p40 and p70) were immunodetected in rat and mouse brush-border membranes and proteins of 72 and 82 kDa were detected in rabbit. The absence or presence of beta-EtSH in the samples before electrophoresis greatly influenced the immunodetection profile of the rat proteins. Since the 40 kDa protein (p40) can only be detected under reducing conditions, it probably originates from reduction of disulfide bonds in p70. Tryptic cleavage of p40 and p70 revealed identical protein fragments showing the close structural identity of those proteins. Both proteins were more abundant in the outer cortex portion of the rat kidney than in the juxtamedullary portion. Furthermore, rats fed a low-phosphate diet for 24 h showed a 20- and 14-fold increase in the amount of p40 and p70, respectively, compared to control rats, showing that the adaptation to P(i) deprivation by increasing renal phosphate reabsorption is not only the result of overproduction of p70, as previously shown, but is also due to the novel p40 which most probably derives from p70.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 06/1996; 1281(1):117-23. · 4.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: Cyclosporin A treatment induces overexpression of P-glycoprotein in the kidney and other tissues.
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    ABSTRACT: To see whether P-glycoprotein (PGP) expressed in renal brush-border membranes (BBM) could interact with compounds known as modulators of multidrug resistance (MDR), photoaffinity-labeling experiments were performed. A 145k-Da protein was photolabeled with [125I] iodoarylazidoprazosin, and this labeling was reduced in the presence of cyclosporin A (CsA) and PSC-833 (PSC). Interaction of CsA with PGP was further investigated by treating rats with daily subcutaneous injections of CsA (10 mg.kg-1.day-1). After this treatment, PGP expression levels were dramatically increased in renal BBM, intestine, liver, and many other tissues except the brain. This induction was a reversible process, since after cessation of CsA administration PGP levels declined to reach values similar to those of the control groups. The increase in PGP expression in the kidney was also detected in photolabeling experiments, suggesting the induction of a functional PGP. A higher dose of CsA (50 mg/kg) given as a bolus injection did not modify PGP expression] in renal BBM. These results demonstrate that CsA induces reversible overexpression of PGP in the rat. This may present significant relevance in the design of clinical trials using CsA as a chemosensitizing agent.
    The American journal of physiology 06/1996; 270(5 Pt 2):F756-65.
  • Article: Age-related changes in carboxyl methylation of proteins in the kidney.
    J Pelletier, R R Desrosiers, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: Age-related changes in the carboxyl methylation activities of L-isoaspartyl/D-aspartyl methyltransferase (PIMT) and C-terminal isoprenylcysteine methyltransferase (PPMT), as well as in the methylation levels of their major substrates, were studied in the soluble and brush border membrane (BBM) fractions of kidney cortex isolated from rats aged 3 weeks, and 2, 7 and 12 months. PIMT activity measured with ovalbumin, an exogenous substrate, decreased by 30% in the soluble fraction, while it increased by 37% in BBM of rats older than 2 months. In the soluble fraction, the affinity of PIMT for the universal methyl donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine, was unaffected, while the apparent maximal velocity measured with ovalbumin was 30% lower in 7-month-old rats than in 3-week-old rats. However, the amount of PIMT measured by Western blotting with anti-PIMT antibodies in the soluble fraction was not affected by age. These results suggest that a reduction in the specific activity of PIMT in the soluble fraction occurs as a function of age. Stimulation of the methylation of total proteins by guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio) triphosphate (GTP gamma S) increased in the soluble fraction of rats older than 2 months, (30%) and decreased in BBM of rats older than 7 months (25%). The PIMT methylation of endogenous substrates of 48 and 61 kDa in the soluble fraction decreased by 40% in rats older than 2 months, but no significant difference was found for substrates in the BBM fraction as a function of age. On the other hand, the PPMT activity was stable from 3 weeks postnatal to adulthood. The C-terminal carboxyl methylation of the major PPMT substrates in BBM (22, 26, and 44 kDa) remained stable throughout development and in adults. The levels of carboxyl methylation of the 22 and 26 kDa substrates in BBM were GTP gamma S-dependent, but only the effect on the 22 kDa substrate was regulated by age. These data suggest that the activities of PIMT and PPMT are regulated differently during development and aging in the rat kidney cortex.
    Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 03/1996; 86(2):115-35. · 3.44 Impact Factor
  • Article: Palmitoylation of brain capillary proteins.
    J F Poulio, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: Palmitoylation is a reversible posttranslational modification which is involved in the regulation of several membrane proteins such as beta 2-adrenergic receptor, p21ras and trimeric G-protein alpha-subunits. This covalent modification could be involved in the regulation of the numerous membrane proteins present in the blood-brain barrier capillaries. The palmitoylation activity present in brain capillaries was characterized using [3H]palmitate labeling followed by chloroform methanol precipitation. Palmitate solubilizing agents such as detergents and bovine serum albumin (BSA), were used for optimizing activity. Some palmitoylated substrates were identified using [3H]palmitate labeling followed by immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies. Two optimal palmitate solubilization conditions were found, one involves cell permeabilization (Triton X-100) and the other represents a more physiological condition where membrane integrity is conserved (BSA). Sensitivity to the cysteine modifier N-ethylmaleimide and to hydrolysis, using hydroxylamine or alkaline methanolysis, indicated that palmitic acid was bound to the proteins by a thioester bond. Maximal palmitate incorporation was reached after 30 or 60 min of incubation in the presence of Triton or BSA, respectively. Depalmitoylation was observed in the presence of BSA, but not with detergents. The palmitoylation reaction was optimal at pH 8 or 9 in the presence of Triton or BSA, respectively, but palmitoylated substrates were detectable over a wide range of pH values. In the presence of Triton X-100, the addition of ATP, CoA and Mg2+ to the incubation medium increased palmitoylation by up to 80-fold. Two palmitoylated substrates were identified, a 42 kDa G-protein alpha subunit and p21ras. The study shows that the utilization of palmitate solubilizing agents is essential to measure in vitro palmitoylation in brain capillaries. Several palmitoylated proteins are present in the blood-brain barrier including five major substrates of 12, 21, 35, 42 and 55 kDa. It is suggested that palmitoylation could play a crucial role in the regulation of brain capillary function, since the two substrates identified in this study are known to be involved in signal transduction, vesicular transport and cell differentiation.
    The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 12/1995; 27(11):1133-44. · 4.63 Impact Factor
  • Article: Molecular study of P-glycoprotein in multidrug resistance using surface plasmon resonance.
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    ABSTRACT: P-Glycoprotein is an integral membrane protein which mediates the energy-dependent efflux of various antitumor agents from multidrug-resistant cancer cells. Surface plasmon resonance was used for the detection of P-glycoprotein after solubilization from drug-resistant and drug-sensitive Chinese hamster ovary cells and for the analysis of its interaction with cyclosporin A, a competitive inhibitor of drug efflux. Detection of P-glycoprotein relied on its binding to the monoclonal antibody C219 which was immobilized on a sensor chip. Binding of Zwittergent 3-14-solubilized P-glycoprotein to the antibody was concentration-dependent and reflected the relative abundance of P-glycoprotein in both cell lines. It was abolished when C219 was omitted or replaced by a rabbit anti-mouse IgG antibody and considerably reduced after precipitation of P-glycoprotein with wheat germ agglutinin. Preincubation of solubilized proteins with cyclosporin A increased the amount of protein bound to the antibody by approximately 30%. These results indicate that surface plasmon resonance is well suited to the detection of P-glycoprotein from biological samples and shows promise as a tool for the study of its interaction with different drugs.
    Analytical Biochemistry 10/1995; 230(2):239-47. · 3.00 Impact Factor
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    Article: Immunochemical characterization of L-isoaspartyl-protein carboxyl methyltransferase from mammalian tissues.
    D Boivin, D Bilodeau, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: Polyclonal antibodies were raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to a sequence of 14 amino acid residues found near the C-terminus of L-isoaspartyl (D-aspartyl)-protein carboxyl methyltransferase (PCMT). The affinity-purified antibodies were used to detect the methyltransferase by Western-blot analysis in cytosolic and membrane fractions from several mammalian tissues. A protein of 27 kDa was detected in the cytosol of most tissues; co-incubation with the peptide used for immunization abolished the detection. The identity of the 27 kDa protein as a PCMT was demonstrated by renaturation of PCMT activity from SDS/polyacrylamide gels. The methyltransferase from brain cytosol was immunoprecipitated by the anti-PCMT antibodies and Protein A-agarose, indicating that the native protein was recognized by the antibodies. PCMT was also immunodetected in crude membranes from brain, testes and heart, and in purified membranes from kidney cortex. The expression of the methyltransferase was higher in bovine and human brain than in rat tissues. The bovine enzyme had a greater electrophoretic mobility, suggesting small structural differences. The membrane-bound methyltransferase could be extracted with detergents above their critical micellar concentration, but not with salt, alkaline or urea solutions suggesting that the binding of the enzyme to membranes is hydrophobic by nature. Anti-PCMT antibodies provide an interesting tool for studies regarding the expression of these enzymes in both soluble and membrane fractions of various cell types.
    Biochemical Journal 09/1995; 309 ( Pt 3):993-8. · 4.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: Subcellular distribution and membrane association of Rho-related small GTP-binding proteins in kidney cortex.
    D Boivin, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: We have examined the subcellular distribution of Rho-related small GTP-binding proteins in the kidney. RhoA, CDC42, and Rac1 small GTP-binding proteins were found to be expressed at high levels in rat outer kidney cortex. Western blot analysis showed that these proteins were predominantly associated with brush-border and basolateral plasma membranes, with the exception of Rac1 which was localized predominantly in the mitochondria. RhoA and CDC42 were also found in the cytosol, and a small fraction was associated with cytoskeletal elements. A GDP-dissociation inhibitor specific for the Rho family (RhoGDI) was also identified and found to be located exclusively in the cytosol. Upon fractionation of kidney cytosol with anion-exchange chromatography, RhoA and CDC42 proteins eluted in two major well-resolved peaks that coeluted with the RhoGDI protein, suggesting that they form heterodimers. Association of RhoA and CDC42 with RhoGDI was further suggested by coelution of these proteins with RhoGDI at an estimated size of approximately 45 kDa after gel-filtration chromatography. However, a second peak of RhoA eluted as a 20-kDa protein, indicating that not all RhoA is complexed to RhoGDI. Addition of RhoA- and CDC42-enriched fractions to purified membranes from kidney cortex resulted in their translocation to the membranes and their carboxyl methylation. Both processes were stimulated by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). Methylation inhibitors had no effect on the translocation of RhoA to membranes, suggesting that this covalent modification is not required for association to the membrane.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
    The American journal of physiology 09/1995; 269(2 Pt 2):F180-9.
  • Article: Palmitoylation of the glucose transporter in blood-brain barrier capillaries.
    J F Pouliot, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: Palmitoylation of GLUT1 was investigated in brain capillaries. The glucose transporter was shown to be palmitoylated using [3H]palmitate labeling and immunoprecipitation. The labeling was sensitive to methanolic KOH or hydroxylamine hydrolysis, indicating the presence of an ester or thioester bond. The released fatty acid was analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC and was identified as [3H]palmitate. Specificity of the immunoprecipitation was assessed by competitive inhibition of anti-GLUT1 binding with a synthetic C-terminal peptide against which the antibody was raised. In vivo studies were performed using capillaries isolated from control rats, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and diet-induced hyperglycemic rats. Glycemia was increased 2- and 5-fold in the hyperglycemic and diabetic groups, respectively. GLUT1 expression was evaluated in the three groups by Western blot analysis. A 36% decrease in GLUT1 expression was observed in the diabetic group, while there was no significant variation in GLUT1 expression in the hyperglycemic group. Palmitoylation of GLUT1 was increased in both diet-induced hyperglycemic and diabetic groups. These results suggest that palmitoylation may be involved in the regulation of glucose transport activity in hyperglycemia.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 04/1995; 1234(2):191-6. · 4.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: Factors affecting the stability of the renal sodium/phosphate symporter during its solubilization and reconstitution.
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    ABSTRACT: Phosphate is reabsorbed across the brush-border membrane of the proximal tubule by a specific sodium-dependent symporter. Like the other brush-border membrane transport proteins of the kidney, the phosphate carrier remains to be isolated in a functional state. To establish a set of parameters that allow to preserve its biological activity, the phosphate carrier was solubilized under systematically varied conditions and reconstituted into proteoliposomes. Successful reconstitution was achieved only when the extraction buffer contained lipids extracted from the renal brush-border membrane. Glycerol, an osmolyte which reduces the water activity of the solution, was also required. It could however be replaced by 150 mM sodium or potassium phosphate. Below this concentration and in the presence of glycerol, the ionic strength of the solution had little effect on the stability of the transporter, but sodium phosphate could not be replaced by sodium chloride. Phosphate transport in reconstituted vesicles depended on the concentration of detergent and pH of the extraction buffer. Finally, transport activity was increased when solubilization was carried out in the presence of a reducing agent, dithiothreitol. These results should be helpful during the purification and further characterization of the renal phosphate symporter.
    The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 04/1995; 27(3):311-8. · 4.63 Impact Factor
  • Article: Isoform I (mdr3) is the major form of P-glycoprotein expressed in mouse brain capillaries. Evidence for cross-reactivity of antibody C219 with an unrelated protein.
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    ABSTRACT: P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is expressed in various non-cancerous tissues such as the endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. We used several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and isoform-specific polyclonal antibodies to establish which P-gp isoforms are expressed in isolated mouse brain capillaries. P-gp class I isoform was detected in capillaries with a Western immunoblotting procedure using a specific antiserum. No immunoreactivity was observed with either class II- or class III-specific antisera. Immunoreactivity was observed with mAb C219. However, this antibody detected two distinct immunoreactive proteins (155 and 190 kDa) in the isolated brain capillaries. These two proteins comigrated as a broad band when the samples were submitted to heat prior to gel electrophoresis. The glycoprotein nature of these two antigens was evaluated by their sensitivity to N-glycanase treatment. Following this treatment, the size of the proteins was reduced from 190 and 155 kDa to 180 and 120 kDa, respectively. Triton X-114 phase-partitioning studies showed that the 190 kDa immunoreactive protein was poorly solubilized by Triton X-114, while the 155 kDa protein was partitioned in the detergent-rich phase. In labelling experiments, only the 155 kDa protein was photolabelled with [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin. These results show that a 190 kDa protein detected by antibody C219 is an antigen unrelated to the three P-gp isoforms presently known. Cross-reactivity of C219 with an unrelated protein emphasizes the fact that more than one antibody should be used in the assessment of P-gp expression in cell lines and tissues.
    Biochemical Journal 03/1995; 305 ( Pt 3):761-6. · 4.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: P-glycoprotein of blood brain barrier: cross-reactivity of Mab C219 with a 190 kDa protein in bovine and rat isolated brain capillaries.
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    ABSTRACT: P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an active efflux pump of antitumor drugs, is strongly expressed in endothelial cells of the blood brain barrier (BBB). Two proteins (155 and 190 kDa) were detected by Western blot analysis of beef and rat capillaries with the monoclonal antibody (MAb) C219. In order to characterize the nature of these proteins, their profile of solubilization by different detergents was established and compared with that of P-gp from the CHRC5 tumoral cell line. The 155 kDa protein (p155) of capillaries and the P-gp of CHRC5 cells were well solubilized by deoxycholate and Elugent, whereas the 190 kDa kDa protein (p190) was only solubilized by sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS). Both proteins have different patterns of extraction by Triton X-114, p155 partitioning as a membrane protein, while p190 was insoluble. Deglycosylation of capillary proteins resulted in a 27-28 kDa decrease in the apparent molecular weight of p155, similar to that observed for the P-gp of CHRC5 cells, but a decrease of only 7-8 for p190. Only p155 was immunoprecipitated by MAb C219. These results suggest that only p155 is the P-gp in BBB and that MAb C219 cross-reacts with a 190 kDa MDR-unrelated glycosylated protein. Consequently, the use of this antibody, which is frequently used to detect P-gp in tumors, could be a pitfall of immunohistochemistry screening for cancer tissues and lead to false positive in the diagnosis of MDR.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 02/1995; 1233(1):27-32. · 4.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: Extraction of brain capillary membrane proteins using Triton X-114.
    J F Pouliot, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: Brain capillaries contain a great variety of membrane proteins involved in the transport of hydrophilic nutrients or in the reception of hormonal signals. The use of Triton X-114 fractionation to purify membrane proteins according to their degree of hydrophobicity was investigated. Analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a distinct polypeptide composition for each fraction. Most of the proteins (68%) were solubilized by Triton X-114 and, of these proteins, the majority (74%) was found in the detergent-poor phase. Alkaline phosphatase which possesses a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor partitioned in the pellet of insoluble proteins where it was enriched 2.3-fold. In contrast, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, the GLUT1 glucose transporter and P-glycoprotein, three integral membrane proteins, and p21ras and a 42 kDa G protein alpha subunit, both covalently modified by lipids, were efficiently solubilized and fractionated in the detergent-rich fraction where they were enriched 3.5-, 4.8-, 4.4-, 4.5- and 4.7-fold, respectively. Triton X-114 fractionation could therefore be used as a first step in the purification of many blood-brain barrier membrane proteins.
    Biochemistry and molecular biology international 01/1995; 34(6):1075-84.
  • Article: Tyrosine protein phosphorylation in plasma membranes of rat kidney cortex.
    L Tremblay, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: The endogenous tyrosine protein kinase activity (TPKA) associated with brush-border (BBM) and basolateral (BLM) membranes of rat kidney cortex was studied with an anti-phosphotyrosine monoclonal antibody (PY20). Distinct major phosphotyrosine-containing proteins were associated with BBM (50, 54, and 120 kDa) and BLM (37, 90, 130, and 170 kDa). For both plasma membranes, tyrosine phosphorylation leveled off after 10 min of incubation. Endogenous phosphotyrosine-specific protein phosphatases (PT-Pases) were active in both membranes, since the presence of sodium vanadate or ammonium molybdate, which are inhibitors of PTPases, was essential to detect endogenous phosphorylation. Substrates and/or tyrosine protein kinases (TPKs) seem to be differently distributed in these plasma membranes, since phosphorylation of endogenous substrates in BLM and BBM was differently sensitive to competitive inhibitors of TPKs. Moreover, insulin- and insulin-like growth factor I-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of a 90-kDa substrate was only observed in solubilized BLM proteins. However, similar p60v-src-related TPKs appear to be present in the BBM and BLM, since an antibody raised against p60v-src recognized proteins of 52, 58, and 75 kDa by immunoblotting and could immunoprecipitate the TPKs associated with both plasma membranes. These data provide evidence that the endogenous tyrosine protein phosphorylation observed in the BLM is catalyzed by nonreceptor TPKs as well as receptor TPKs, whereas that observed in the BBM is exclusively due to nonreceptor TPKs.
    The American journal of physiology 10/1994; 267(3 Pt 2):F415-22.
  • Article: Molecular size of the functional complex and protein subunits of the renal phosphate symporter.
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    ABSTRACT: The oligomeric structure of the rabbit renal brush-border membrane sodium/phosphate cotransporter was examined with the radiation inactivation and fragmentation technique. The size of its functional complex (its "radiation inactivation size") was estimated from the rate of decay of its sodium-dependent transport activity as a function of the radiation dose. A radiation inactivation size of 223 +/- 42 kDa was obtained. The polypeptide constituting the monomeric unit of the Na1+/Pi symporter was detected by immunoblotting with polyclonal anti-peptide antibodies directed against the 14 amino acid C-terminal portion of the symporter molecule. Its apparent molecular size estimated by comparison with standards following SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 64,000. This value is in good agreement with its known molecular mass of 51,797 Da calculated from the amino acid sequence deducted from the nucleotide sequence of its gene since this protein is probably glycosylated. The loss of labeling intensity of the polypeptide of M(r) = 64,000 was also measured as a function of radiation dose. The molecular size calculated from these data (its "target size") was 165 +/- 20 kDa. The target size estimated for the rat phosphate cotransporter was 184 +/- 46 kDa, and its previously reported radiation inactivation size was 234 +/- 14 kDa. These results strongly suggest that the renal Na1+/Pi cotransporter exists as an oligomeric protein, probably a homotetramer. The fact that the values obtained for the target size are about 3/4 those obtained for the radiation inactivation size of these cotransport proteins indicates that their subunits are closely associated since most of their subunits appear to be fragmented by a single ionizing radiation hit.
    Biochemistry 09/1994; 33(31):9105-9. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Functional size of C-terminal protein carboxyl methyltransferase from kidney basolateral plasma membranes.
    D Boivin, M Potier, R Béliveau
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    ABSTRACT: The functional sizes of the C-terminal isoprenylcysteine protein carboxyl methyltransferase (PCMT) from kidney cortex basolateral plasma membranes and yeast membranes have been estimated by the radiation inactivation and fragmentation method. Attempts to solubilize the methyltransferase with detergents were unsuccessful as they resulted in the irreversible denaturation of its enzymatic activity. The radiation inactivation sizes of the methyltransferases were 98 and 24 kDa for kidney and yeast, respectively. Kinetic experiments showed that irradiation affects the Vmax of the reaction but not the apparent Km for either S-adenosyl-L-methionine and N-acetyl farnesylcysteine. The functional size reported here for the kidney membrane is about 4-times larger than the size predicted for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae C-terminal PCMT deduced from the nucleotide sequence of its gene (28 kDa). These results suggest that mammalian methyltransferase has a functional size different from that of the yeast; tetramerization of monomers is one possible hypothesis for this difference.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 08/1994; 1207(1):114-9. · 4.66 Impact Factor