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A clear prediction of the helix-coil model for force generation in muscle is that force should be produced when the equilibrium (helix-coil) of a rigor (or activated) fiber is perturbed by a temperature jump near the melting temperature of the light meromyosin/heavy meromyosin hinge. An infrared, iodine-photodissociation laser was used to heat the fibers by approximately equal to 5 degrees C in under 1 mus. Under ionic conditions where rigor bridges are predominantly associated with the thick filament backbone, an abrupt drop in tension typical of normal thermoelastic expansion was seen. A similar response was observed below 41 degrees C for thick filament-released rigor bridges. Above this temperature, a rubber-like thermoelastic response was obtained typical of a helix-coil transition. At temperatures near 50 degrees C, the amount of force generated by a rigor fiber was large and comparable to that seen for an activated fiber at 5 degrees C. The relaxation spectra of force generation obtained for both systems (rigor and activated) show a step change followed by a biexponential kinetic process. The reciprocal relaxation times and amplitudes for these individual processes in activated and rigor fibers differ only by factors of 2-4. Force generation in the rigor muscle appears to arise from melting in the subfragment 2 hinge region of the myosin molecule since binding of subfragment 2 to the thick filament backbone inhibits force production. No significant force generation was observed following temperature jumps of relaxed fibers.

The following studies were conducted to determine whether luteinizing hormone (LH), a hormone which increases cellular levels of cyclic AMP, also provokes increases in ‘second messengers’ derived from inositol lipid metabolism (i.e. inositol phosphates and diacylglycerol). Rat granulosa cells isolated from mature Graafian follicles were prelabelled for 3 h with myo-[2-3H]inositol. LH provoked rapid (5 min) and sustained (up to 60 min) increases in the levels of inositol mono-, bis, and trisphosphates (IP, IP2 and IP3, respectively). Time course studies revealed that IP3 was formed more rapidly than IP2 and IP following LH treatment. The response to LH was concentration-dependent with maximal increases at LH concentrations of 1 microgram/ml. LiCl (2-40 mM) enhanced the LH-provoked accumulation of all [3H]inositol phosphates, presumably by inhibiting the action of inositol phosphate phosphatases. The effectiveness of LH, however, was dependent on the concentration of lithium employed; maximal increases in IP were observed at 10 mM-LiCl, whereas maximal increases in IP2 and IP3 were observed at 20 mM- and 40 mM-LiCl, respectively. The stimulatory effects of LH on inositol phosphate and progesterone accumulation were also compared with changes in cyclic nucleotide levels. LH rapidly increased levels of inositol phosphates, progesterone and cyclic AMP, but transiently reduced levels of cyclic GMP. These results demonstrate that LH increases both cyclic AMP and inositol trisphosphate (and presumably diacylglycerol) in rat granulosa cells. Our findings suggest that two messenger systems exist to mediate the action of LH in granulosa cells.

We have previously reported that insulin increases the synthesis de novo of phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP), phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and diacylglycerol (DAG) in BC3H-1 myocytes and/or rat adipose tissue. Here we have further characterized these effects of insulin and examined whether there are concomitant changes in inositol phosphate generation and Ca2+ mobilization. We found that insulin provoked very rapid increases in PI content (20% within 15 s in myocytes) and, after a slight lag, PIP and PIP2 content in both BC3H-1 myocytes and rat fat pads (measured by increases in 32P or 3H content after prelabelling phospholipids to constant specific radioactivity by prior incubation with 32Pi or [3H]inositol). Insulin also increased 32Pi incorporation into these phospholipids when 32Pi was added either simultaneously with insulin or 1 h after insulin. Thus, the insulin-induced increase in phospholipid content appeared to be due to an increase in phospholipid synthesis, which was maintained for at least 2 h. Insulin increased DAG content in BC3H-1 myocytes and adipose tissue, but failed to increase the levels of inositol monophosphate (IP), inositol bisphosphate (IP2) or inositol trisphosphate (IP3). The failure to observe an increase in IP3 (a postulated ‘second messenger’ which mobilizes intracellular Ca2+) was paralleled by a failure to observe an insulin-induced increase in the cytosolic concentration of Ca2+ in BC3H-1 myocytes as measured by Quin 2 fluorescence. Like insulin, the phorbol diester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) increased the transport of 2-deoxyglucose and aminoisobutyric acid in BC3H-1 myocytes. These effects of insulin and TPA appeared to be independent of extracellular Ca2+. We conclude that the phospholipid synthesis de novo effect of insulin is provoked very rapidly, and is attended by increases in DAG but not IP3 or Ca2+ mobilization. The insulin-induced increase in DAG does not appear to be a consequence of phospholipase C acting upon the expanded PI + PIP + PIP2 pool, but may be derived directly from PA. Our findings suggest the possibility that DAG (through protein kinase C activation) may function as an important intracellular ‘messenger’ for controlling metabolic processes during insulin action.

A new species of protein kinase has been identified in cytosol preparations from bovine corpora lutea. Enzyme activity required the simultaneous presence of Ca2+ and phospholipid, and was also enhanced by glyceryl dioleate. Phosphatidylserine was the most effective phospholipid for stimulating histone phosphorylation. Other phospholipids capable of supporting enzymic activity were, in order of decreasing activity, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, cardiolipin and phosphatidylglycerol. Several other phospholipids tested were ineffective. A cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase was also present in the luteal cytosol. This enzyme activity was eliminated by protein kinase inhibitor without affecting the Ca2+- and phospholipid-stimulated activity. Lysine-rich histone (IIIS) was a much better substrate than type-IIA histone for Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent phosphorylation. Ca2+ and phospholipid also enhanced phosphorylation of endogenous luteal cytosol protein. Calmodulin, alone or in the presence of Ca2+, was unable to increase phosphorylation. Trifluoperazine inhibited protein kinase activity stimulated by Ca2+ and phospholipid. These data suggest that a phospholipid-sensitive, Ca2+-dependent protein kinase may provide an important link between hormonally-induced changes in phospholipid metabolism and corpus-luteum function.

The self-assembly of myosin monomer into thick filament occurs via a two-step mechanism. At first a pair of myosin monomers reacts to form a parallel dimer; the dimer in turn adds to the filament ends at a rate that is independent of filament length. The rate of the dissociation reaction on the other hand is length-dependent. The ‘off’ rate constant has been shown to increase exponentially by a factor of 500 as the filament grows from the bare-zone out to its full length. The length of the filament is thus kinetically controlled; myosin is added to the filament at a fixed rate, whereas the dissociation rate increases to a point where equilibrium is established and the filament ceases to grow. The structural implications implicit in the mechanism are discussed.

The thick-filament-monomeric-myosin equilibrium was prepared from pure myosin at pH 8.1. The application of hydrostatic pressure to the self-assembly equilibrium resulted in a biphasic dissociation curve in which a linear decrease in turbidity (a measure of weight added to or lost from the filament) was followed by a transition to a second pressure-insensitive phase. The first phase represents the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the growth or propagation phase of filament assembly. Here is was shown that hydrostatic pressure served to shorten the filaments in concert towards the bare zone whilst maintaining the narrow length distribution seen at atmospheric pressure; the filament concentration remained constant during the experiment. A more precise definition of the delta-v for the assembly of monomer into filament was obtained than had hitherto been possible. The positioning of the bare zone at the centre of the filament seems to be one of the more obvious functions of the length-regulation mechanism. It also appears that all the basic structural elements of the native thick filament are potentially present in the pH 8.1 homopolymer; its length can be increased by physiological concentrations of MgCl2 and decreased by pressure. The monodisperse native filament could then be formed by a fine tuning of the basic length-regulation mechanism of the homopolymer by the co-polymerization of the other thick-filament proteins.

Artificial cryoprecipitates have been prepared from SLE sera by incubation of anti-double stranded DNA with 3H-PM2 DNA, IgM rheumatoid factor, and complement to study further the relationships between natural cryoprecipitation and the DNA/anti-DNA system in this disorder. Addition of rheumatoid factor and/or complement to a mixture of SLE serum and 3H-DNA results in increased precipitation of the 3H-DNA following incubation at 4 °C. Precipitations formed with added complement or complement plus rheumatoid factor could be rapidly resolubilized or reprecipitated by warming to 37 °C or recooling to 4 °C, i.e., exhibited the behavior of natural cryoprecipitates. The resolubilized cryoprecipitates contained excess antibody, because they bound significant quantities of additional 3H-DNA in the Farr assay. Of special interest was the observation that DNA binding activity frequently could be recovered from resolubilized cryoprecipitates even though 3H-DNA was not added during the original cryoprecipitate preparation. With certain cryoprecipitations prepared in this way, the DNA binding activity was further increased by deoxyribonuclease treatment, raising the possibility that endogenous DNA may be a constituent of such cryoprecipitates. The implications of these findings with respect to the nature of antibody-DNA immune complexes in SLE are discussed.

Smooth muscle cells were cultured from rat thoracic aorta and labeled to a stable specific activity with 45Ca2+, myo-[2-3H]inositol, or 32Pi. The efflux of 45Ca2+ was monitored over 10-sec intervals. Angiotensin II (AII) increased the amount of 45Ca2+ lost by 5-fold in the first 10-sec interval after the addition of AII and by 10-fold in the second 10-sec interval. AII-stimulated 45Ca2+ release was blocked by the angiotensin antagonist [1-sarcosine, 8-leucine]AII and by La3+. The removal of external Ca2+ had no effect on AII-stimulated 45Ca2+ release. Depolarization with high external K+ only slightly increased 45Ca2+ efflux and had no effect on AII-induced 45Ca2+ release. AII had no effect on the initial rate of 45Ca2+ influx. These results indicate that the rapid 45Ca2+ efflux evoked by AII is probably due to the release of 45Ca2+ sequestered intracellularly rather than to an increase in the Ca2+ permeability of the plasma membrane. AII provoked rapid increases in the levels of phosphatidic acid and phosphoinositides in the cells. These increases in phospholipids were associated with increases in phospholipase C-generated inositol phosphates (tri-, di-, and mono-). It appears that AII simultaneously increases phosphoinositide hydrolysis and synthesis in vascular smooth muscle, and both phospholipid effects may contribute to inositol triphosphate generation, which was sufficiently rapid to have a role in intracellular Ca2+ mobilization.

The present studies were conducted to determine whether prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) stimulates the production of "second messengers" derived from inositol phospholipid hydrolysis and increases intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in isolated bovine luteal cells. PGF2 alpha provoked rapid (10 sec) and sustained (up to 60 min) increases in the levels of inositol mono-, bis-, and trisphosphates (InsP, InsP2, and InsP3, respectively). InsP3 was formed more rapidly than InsP2 or InsP after PGF2 alpha treatment. In addition, PGF2 alpha increased inositol phospholipid turnover, as evidenced by increased 32PO4 incorporation into phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol. LiCl (1-20 mM) enhanced inositol phosphate accumulation in response to PGF2 alpha. Maximal increases in InsP3 occurred at 1 microM PGF2 alpha, with half-maximal stimulation occurring at 36 nM. The acute effects of PGF2 alpha on InsP3 levels were independent of reductions in extracellular calcium. Prostaglandins E1 and E2 also stimulated increases in inositol phosphate levels, albeit to a lesser extent. PGF2 alpha also induced rapid and concentration-dependent increases in [Ca2+]i as measured by quin-2 fluorescence. The PGF2 alpha-induced increases in [Ca2+]i were maximal within 30 sec (approximately 2- to 3-fold), and [Ca2+]i remained elevated for 8-10 min. The PGF2 alpha-induced increases in [Ca2+]i were also independent of extracellular calcium. These findings demonstrate that the action of PGF2 alpha is coupled to the phospholipase C-InsP3 and diacylglycerol second messenger system in the corpus luteum.

BC3H-1 myocytes were cultured with 32PO4 for 3 days to label phospholipids to constant specific activity. Subsequent treatment with physiological concentrations of insulin provoked 40-70% increases in 32PO4 levels (reflecting increases in mass) in phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, and polyphosphoinositides, and, lesser, 20-25% increases in phosphatidylserine and the combined chromatographic area containing phosphatidylethanolamine plus phosphatidylcholine plus phosphatidylcholine. Insulin-induced increases in phospholipids were significant within 5 min and near-maximal at 15-30 min. Comparable rapid insulin-induced increases in [3H]phosphatidylinositol were observed in myocytes prelabeled with [3H]inositol. These insulin effects (as per prolonged pulse-chase experiments) were due to increase phospholipid synthesis rather than decreased phospholipid degradation. Cycloheximide (and puromycin) pretreatment prevented insulin-induced increases in phospholipids and rapidly reversed ongoing insulin effects on phospholipids and pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. Insulin also rapidly increased diacylglycerol levels. These findings suggest that: (a) insulin provokes rapid increases in de novo synthesis of phosphatidic acid and its derivatives, e.g. phosphoinositides and diacylglycerol; (b) protein synthesis inhibitors diminish phospholipid levels in insulin-treated (but not control) tissues by increasing phospholipid degradation (?phospholipase(s) activation); and (c) changes in phospholipids and diacylglycerol may be important for changes in pyruvate dehydrogenase and other enzymatic activities during treatment with insulin and/or protein synthesis inhibitors.

The present studies were conducted to determine whether luteinizing hormone (LH), a hormone which increases intracellular cAMP, also increases “second messengers” derived from inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in isolated bovine luteal cells. In luteal cells prelabeled with 32PO4, LH provoked increases in labeling of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, and polyphosphatidylinositol (PIP). No reductions in 32P-prelabeled PIP and PIP2 were observed in LH-treated cells. In luteal cells prelabeled with myo-[2-3H]inositol, LH provoked rapid (10-30 s) and sustained (up to 60 min) increases in the levels of inositol mono-, bis-, and trisphosphates (IP, IP2, and IP3, respectively. IP3 was formed more rapidly than IP2 or IP following LH treatment. In addition, LH increased (50%) levels of [3H]inositol phospholipids in 30-min incubations. LiCl (10 mM) enhanced inositol phosphate accumulation in response to LH. Maximal increases in IP3 occurred at 1-10 micrograms/ml of LH. Similar temporal and dose-response relationships were observed for LH-stimulated IP3 and cAMP accumulation. However, exogenous cAMP (8-bromo-cAMP, 5 mM) and forskolin (10 microM) had no effect on inositol phosphate synthesis. The initial (1 min) effects of LH on IP3 and cAMP were independent of extracellular calcium concentrations, whereas the sustained (5 min) effect of LH on IP3, but not cAMP, was dependent on a source of extracellular calcium. LH-stimulated progesterone synthesis was also dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium. LH induced rapid and concentration-dependent increases in [Ca2+]i as measured by Quin 2 fluorescence. The LH-induced increases in [Ca2+]i were maximal within 30 s (approximately 2-fold) and remained elevated for at least 10 min. In Ca2+-free media containing 2 mM [ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid, LH was still able to increase [Ca2+]i, but the increase was slightly less in magnitude and of shorter duration (2-4 min). These findings demonstrate that LH can rapidly raise levels of IP3 and [Ca2+]i, as well as, cAMP in bovine luteal cells. These findings suggest that at least two second messenger systems exist to mediate the action of LH in the corpus luteum.

This report describes the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH; gonadoliberin) and an agonist, [D-Ala6, des-Gly10]GnRH ethyl amide (GnRHa), on phospholipid metabolism in rat granulosa cells isolated from mature Graafian follicles. As indicated by the incorporation of 32PO4, GnRHa rapidly (less than 2 min) stimulated the labeling of phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol but had no effect on the labeling of other phospholipids. Increased phosphatidylinositol labeling was also observed when myo-[2-3H]inositol was incubated with granulosa cells in the presence of GnRHa. Increases in labeling were dependent on the dose of GnRH and time of incubation. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone and a specific GnRH antagonist had no effect on labeling, but a GnRH antagonist prevented the stimulatory action of GnRH. In addition, treatment with GnRHa slightly increased the levels of phosphatidylinositol (15%) in 60-min incubations but had no effect on the levels of other phospholipids. Significant increases in progesterone accumulation were observed after 30 min of incubation with GnRHa, and further increases were correlated with the time of incubation. The stimulatory action of GnRH on phospholipid metabolism and progesterone accumulation was not related to increases in cyclic nucleotide accumulation. In incubations lasting up to 30 min, GnRHa had no effect on cAMP accumulation. However, a transient decrease in cGMP levels was observed in response to GnRHa. These studies suggest that the rapid and specific effects of GnRH on phospholipid metabolism in rat granulosa cells represent early events in the action of GnRH.

Insulin is known to increase the de novo synthesis of inositol phospholipids in rat epididymal fat pads. We presently examined the effects of insulin on the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids in this tissue. Relatively small (30-40%) but significant increases in inositol phosphates (mono-, di-, and tri-) were apparent within 30-60 s of insulin treatment in fat pads (and adipocytes); thereafter, inositol phosphates returned to control levels. These rapid insulin-induced increases in inositol phosphates appeared to be due to phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids, since there were associated transient decreases in these lipids during 32P pulse-chase experiments. Increases in the synthesis of inositol phospholipids were also apparent within a few minutes of insulin treatment and persisted for at least 2 h. We conclude that, in the rat epididymal fat pad, insulin has two phospholipid effects, viz. a transient activation of phospholipase C, and a persistent increase in de novo phospholipid synthesis.

We previously suggested that insulin increases diacylglycerol (DAG) in BC3H-1 myocytes, both by increases in synthesis de novo of phosphatidic acid (PA) and by hydrolysis of non-inositol-containing phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). We have now evaluated these insulin effects more thoroughly, and several potential mechanisms for their induction. In studies of the effect on PA synthesis de novo, insulin stimulated [2-3H]glycerol incorporation into PA, DAG, PC/PE and total glycerolipids of BC3H-1 myocytes, regardless of whether insulin was added simultaneously with, or after 2 h or 3 or 10 days of prelabelling with, [2-3H]glycerol. In prelabelled cells, time-related changes in [2-3H]glycerol labelling of DAG correlated well with increases in DAG content: both were maximal in 30-60 s and persisted for 20-30 min. [2-3H]Glycerol labelling of glycerol 3-phosphate, on the other hand, was decreased by insulin, presumably reflecting increased utilization for PA synthesis. Glycerol 3-phosphate concentrations were 0.36 and 0.38 mM before and 1 min after insulin treatment, and insulin effects could not be explained by increases in glycerol 3-phosphate specific radioactivity. In addition to that of [2-3H]glycerol, insulin increased [U-14C]glucose and [1,2,3-3H]glycerol incorporation into DAG and other glycerolipids. Effects of insulin on [2-3H]glycerol incorporation into DAG and other glycerolipids were half-maximal and maximal at 2 nM- and 20 nM-insulin respectively, and were not dependent on glucose concentration in the medium, extracellular Ca2+ or protein synthesis. Despite good correlation between [3H]DAG and DAG content, calculated increases in DAG content from glycerol 3-phosphate specific radioactivity (i.e. via the pathway of PA synthesis de novo) could account for only 15-30% of the observed increases in DAG content. In addition to increases in [3H]glycerol labelling of PC/PE, insulin rapidly (within 30 s) increased PC/PE labelling by [3H]arachidonic acid, [3H]myristic acid, and [14C]choline. Phenylephrine, ionophore A23187 and phorbol esters did not increase [2-3H]glycerol incorporation into DAG or other glycerolipids in 2-h-prelabelling experiments; thus activation of the phospholipase C which hydrolyses phosphatidylinositol, its mono- and bis-phosphate, Ca2+ mobilization, and protein kinase C activation, appear to be ruled out as mechanisms to explain the insulin effect on synthesis de novo of PA, DAG and PC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

We studied the possibility that hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] may be the initiating event for the increase in [32P]Pi incorporation into phosphatidic acid (PtdA) and phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) during carbachol and pancreozymin (cholecystokinin-octapeptide) action in the rat pancreas. After prelabelling acini for 2h, [32P]Pi incorporation into PtdA, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) had reached equilibrium. Subsequent addition of carbachol or pancreozymin caused 32P in PtdIns(4,5)P2 to decrease by 30-50% within 10-15 s, and this was followed by sequential increases in [32P]Pi incorporation into PtdA and PtdIns. Similar changes in 32P-labelling of PtdIns4P were not consistently observed. Confirmation that the decrease in 32P in chromatographically-purified PtdIns(4,5)P2 reflected an actual decrease in this substance was provided by the fact that similar results were obtained (a) when PtdIns(4,5)P2 was prelabelled with [2-3H]inositol, and (b) when PtdIns(4,5)P2 was measured as its specific product (glycerophosphoinositol bisphosphate) after methanolic alkaline hydrolysis and ion-exchange chromatography. The secretogogue-induced breakdown of PtdIns(4,5)P2 was not inhibited by Ca2+ deficiency (severe enough to inhibit amylase secretion and Ca2+-dependent hydrolysis of PtdIns), and ionophore A23187 treatment did not provoke PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis. The increase in the hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 and the increase in [32P]Pi incorporation into PtdA commenced at the same concentration of carbachol in dose-response studies. Our findings suggest that the hydrolysis of PtdIns(4,5)P2 is an early event in the action of pancreatic secretogogues that mobilize Ca2+, and it is possible that this hydrolysis may initiate the Ca2+-independent labelling of PtdA and PtdIns. Ca2+ mobilization may follow these responses, and subsequently cause Ca2+-dependent hydrolysis of PtdIns and exocytosis.

Rat granulosa cells isolated from mature Graafian follicles were incubated with luteinizing hormone under various conditions in order to follow the synthesis and degradation of phospholipids. During acute incubations, luteinizing hormone provoked rapid and concentration-dependent increases in the incorporation of 32PO4 into phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, and the polyphosphoinositides. Similarly, luteinizing hormone provoked increases in labeling of phosphatidylinositol and the polyphosphoinositides when granulosa cells were incubated with myo-[2-3H]inositol. When granulosa cells were prelabeled with 32PO4 in order to label phosphatidylinositol to constant specific radioactivity (4 h), luteinizing hormone treatment significantly increased 32P-phosphatidylinositol levels (23%). Comparable increases (27%) in the cellular concentrations of phosphatidylinositol were observed in response to luteinizing hormone. In pulse-chase experiments employing 32PO4 - or [3H]inositol-prelabeled cells, luteinizing hormone did not alter phospholipid degradation. In addition, luteinizing hormone did not stimulate degradation of polyphosphoinositides. These results demonstrate that: (a) luteinizing hormone has selective effects on phospholipid metabolism in rat granulosa cells which involve phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, and the polyphosphoinositides, (b) luteinizing hormone increases net levels of phosphatidylinositol and presumably phosphatidic acid and the polyphosphoinositides, and (c) luteinizing hormone does not increase phospholipid degradation. Our findings suggest that luteinizing hormone provokes increases in de novo synthesis of phosphatidylinositol in rat granulosa cells. These changes in phospholipid metabolism may be important for steroidogenesis and other enzymatic processes during treatment with luteinizing hormone.

1. An improved radioassay for glutathione synthetase and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase was developed. 2. Xenopus laevis liver γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase was purified 324-fold by saline–bicarbonate extraction, protamine sulphate precipitation, CM-cellulose and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, and gel filtration. 3. Rat liver γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase was purified 11400-fold by a procedure similar to that employed for the Xenopus laevis enzyme. 4. Rat liver γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity was inhibited by GSH and activated by glycine. These effects, which were not found in the enzyme from Xenopus laevis, may have a regulatory significance. 5. Isotope-exchange experiments revealed fundamental differences in the partial reactions catalysed by the rat and Xenopus laevis synthetases. The enzyme from Xenopus laevis appears to follow a Bi Bi Uni Uni Ping Pong mechanism, with glutamyl–enzyme as intermediate before the addition of cysteine and the release of γ-glutamylcysteine. The results for the rat liver enzyme are consistent with a Tri Tri sequential mechanism.