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We report here experimental evidence indicating that the p21CIP, the universal inhibitor of cyclin-dependent protein kinases, general inhibitor CDKs is a substrate oof cyclin A-cdk2. The evidence comes from phosphorylation experiments in which the endogenous p21CIP present in using the original cyclin A-cdk2 complexes immunoprecipitated from HeLa cells extracts can be phosphorylated by the cdk2 of the same complexes. In vitro experiments showing that reconstituted GSTcyclin A-GSTcdk2 complexes from phosphorylate recombinant GSTp21CIP confirms that p21CIP is a cyclin A-cdk2 substrate.

Incubation of isolated rat soleus muscles in the presence of human recombinant TNF-alpha (10,000 U/ml) resulted in an important increase in ubiquitin gene expression (over 50%). Although previous studies involving cytokine administration in vivo (1) have demonstrated an action on ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis, this is the first report demonstrating a direct action of the cytokine on protein breakdown in incubated rat skeletal muscle.

Implantation of the ascitic tumour Yoshida AH-130 hepatoma (a cachectic tumour) resulted in important increases in muscle ubiquitin gene expression. Administration of daily injections of 25 mg/kg b.w. polyclonal goat anti-murine TNF IgG preparation to tumour-bearing rats abolished the increase in muscle ubiquitin gene expression observed in the control (non-anti-TNF-treated) tumour-bearing rats. It is concluded that TNF can have an important role in the activation of the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic system during tumour growth.

The presence of putative substrates of cdk2 in a nuclear fraction obtained by DNase plus RNase extraction (S1 fraction) has been analyzed by immunoprecipitation using specific anti-cdk2 antibodies, followed by phosphorylation assays. S1 nuclear fractions from four different cellular types, two normal (rat hepatocytes and human T lymphocytes) and two transformed (HeLa and Namalwa cells), have been studied. Results indicate that the normal cells share three putative nuclear cdk2 substrates of 21, 37 and 57 kDa. On the other hand, only a substrate of 20 kDa is shared by the two transformed cell lines. On comparing the proliferating normal lymphocytes with the lymphoblastoid cell line Namalwa, it can be observed that they share two proteins of 40 and 70 kDa.

Septic rats showed an enhanced expression in skeletal muscle of both 1.2 (500%) and 2.4 (530%) kb mRNAs for the peptide ubiquitin, which reflects the activity of the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic system. An acute intravenous administration of 100 micrograms/kg body weight of human recombinant tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) also resulted in an important increase in the levels of ubiquitin mRNAs in rat skeletal muscle, while administration of a similar amount of human recombinant interleukin-1-beta did not. The results presented here, together with previous observations demonstrating that TNF increases the conjugation of proteins with ubiquitin in rat skeletal muscle (1), suggest that the ubiquitin system for non-lysosomal protein degradation could have a very important role in the mechanism triggered by TNF which is responsible for enhanced muscle proteolysis in sepsis and other pathological states.

Normal rat kidney cells that reenter the cell cycle from quiescence start DNA synthesis at 12 h following serum addition and reach a maximum after 20 h. We have previously shown that the activation of DNA polymerase alpha, and the expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen were inhibited when the anti-calmodulin drug W13 is added to the cell cultures. Here we have analyzed the effect of W13 on the activity of DNA polymerase delta and on the expression of replication protein A. The results showed that the blockade of calmodulin by W13 produced an almost complete inhibition of DNA polymerase delta activity whereas the activity of DNA polymerase alpha was only partially inhibited. Finally, the expression of replication protein A was not affected after W13 treatment. Our data suggest that calmodulin might regulate DNA replication through the control of the activities of DNA polymerases alpha and delta and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen.

An acute intravenous administration of 100 micrograms/kg body weight of recombinant tumour necrosis factor-alpha resulted in a time-dependent increase in the levels of ubiquitin mRNAs in rat skeletal muscle. The results presented here, together with previous observations demonstrating that the cytokine increases the conjugation of proteins with ubiquitin in rat skeletal muscle (1), suggest that the ubiquitin system for non-lysosomal protein degradation could have a very important role in the mechanism triggered by tumour necrosis factor-alpha which is responsible for enhanced muscle proteolysis in sepsis and other pathological states.

When Normal Rat Kidney cells are allowed to reenter the cell cycle after quiescence they start to replicate DNA around 12 h, reaching a maximum at 20 h. Activation of DNA polymerase alpha parallels the increase in DNA synthesis. The addition of two different anti-calmodulin drugs, trifluoroperazine (7.5 microM) or W13 (10 micrograms/ml), to the media at 4 h after proliferative activation, inhibits DNA synthesis by 55% and 80%, respectively. The blockade of calmodulin produced by trifluoroperazine allows the cells to progress through G1 phase but stops progression through S phase as determined by 5-Bromo deoxyuridine labeling. Both anti-calmodulin drugs also inhibit by more than 50% the increase in DNA polymerase alpha activity observed at 20 h. These results indicate that a calmodulin-dependent event, essential for the activation of DNA polymerase alpha and subsequently for DNA replication, is produced during G1. Therefore, the control of DNA polymerase alpha activation is one of the ways by which calmodulin is regulating the progression of NRK cells through S phase.

The administration of the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist prazosin to hepatectomized rats inhibited DNA synthesis induced in the remaining hepatocytes. This inhibitory effect could be reversed by the simultaneous injection of the agonist phenylephrine. In order to establish how the alpha 1-adrenergic receptors can regulate DNA replication, the effect of prazosin administration on DNA polymerase alpha was examined. At 24 h after partial hepatectomy, the activity of DNA polymerase alpha increased 5, 7 and 9 fold in the homogenates, nuclei and nuclear matrix, respectively. This increase was inhibited by 70%-80% when prazosin was injected at 1, 8 or 11 h after surgery. Kinetic studies revealed that the Km for DNA was 2 fold lower in hepatectomized than in control animals. The administration of prazosin to hepatectomized rats increased the Km to the control values. These results indicate that the alpha 1-adrenergic receptors are involved in the regulation of DNA synthesis through the activation of DNA polymerase alpha and that this activation could be produced by increasing its affinity for DNA.