SUMMARY A study of the effects of freezing and thawing on egg yolk showed that there was a rapid increase in viscosity (25°C) during the first few hours of storage at −10° and −14°C. The effectiveness of sucrose and of sodium chloride as inhibitors was determined, and the influence of urea on the viscosity of native and of frozen and thawed yolk was investigated. Paper electrophoresis indicated that freezing and thawing caused electrophoretic changes of the yolk lipoproteins.

PKC-d is a serine/threonine kinase that mediates diverse signal transduction pathways. We previously demonstrated that overexpression of PKC-d slowed the G1 progression of Caco-2 colon cancer cells, accelerated apoptosis, and induced cellular differentiation. In this study, we further characterized the PKC-d dependent signaling pathways involved in these tumor suppressor actions in Caco-2 cells overexpressing PKC-d using a Zn 2 þ inducible expression vector. Consistent with a G1 arrest, increased expression of PKC-d caused rapid and significant downregulation of cyclin D1 and cyclin E proteins (50% decreases, Po0.05), while mRNA levels remained unchanged. The PKC agonist, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA, 100 nM, 4 h), induced two-fold higher protein and mRNA levels of p21 Waf1, a cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor in PKC-d transfectants compared with empty vector (EV) transfected cells, whereas the PKC-d specific inhibitor rottlerin (3 lM) or knockdown of this isoenzyme with specific siRNA oligonucleotides blocked p21Waf1 expression. Concomitantly, compared to EV control cells, PKC-d upregulation decreased cyclin D1 and cyclin E proteins co-immunoprecipitating with cdk6 and cdk2, respectively. In addition, overexpression of PKC-d increased binding of cdk inhibitor p27Kip1 to cdk4. These alterations in cyclin-cdks and their inhibitors are predicted to decrease G1 cyclin kinase activity. As an independent confirmation of the direct role PKC-d plays in cell growth and cell cycle regulation, we knocked down PKC-d using specific siRNA oligonucleotides. PKC-d specific siRNA oligonucleotides, but not irrelevant control oligonucleotides, inhibited PKCd protein by more than 80% in Caco-2 cells. Moreover, PKC-d knockdown enhanced cell proliferation (B1.4-2-fold, Po0.05) and concomitantly increased cyclin D1 and cyclin E expression (B1.7-fold, Po0.05). This was a specific effect, as nontargeted PKC-f was not changed by PKC-d siRNA oligonucleotides. Consistent with accelerated apoptosis in PKC-d transfectants, compared to EV cells, PKC-d upregulation increased proapoptotic regulator Bax two-fold at mRNA and protein levels, while antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein was decreased by 50% at a post-transcriptional level. PKC-d specific siRNA oligonucleotides inhibited Bax protein expression by more than 50%, indicating that PKC-d regulates apoptosis through Bax. Taken together, these results elucidate two critical mechanisms regulated by PKC-d that inhibit cell cycle progression and enhance apoptosis in colon cancer cells. We postulate these antiproliferative pathways mediate an important tumor suppressor function for PKC-d in colonic carcinogenesis.

The etioplast fraction prepared from dark-grown barley contained the enzyme ferrochelatase. A mitochondrial fraction prepared from the same dark-grown tissue also contained ferrochelatase. After density-gradient centrifugation an etioplast band was collected that was free from detectable mitochondrial marker enzymes and yet retained ferrochelatase activity. A membrane band that was enriched in mitochondria also contained ferrochelatase. The ferrochelatase in these two bands had different pH optima, but appeared very similar in their porphyrin specificity and their inhibition by metalloporphyrins.

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